


Hero

by lady_oneder



Series: The Hero's Journey [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awkward Peter Parker, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Human Jarvis (Iron Man movies), MIT Era, MIT Tony Stark, Maria Stark's Good Parenting, Morgan is goofy and smart, Parent Tony Stark, Peter is awkward and also smart, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-05-13 22:36:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19260535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_oneder/pseuds/lady_oneder
Summary: Time travel is fickle, and Tony is busting out his dad moves. Peter just wants to take the physics test he studied hard for.ORTony, Morgan, and Peter accidentally travel back and time and meet Howard and Maria StarkChapter 4 is an Author's Note.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a late Father's Day fic, since Tony is clearly the best movie dad. This is very self-indulgent with Tony just proving to everyone how good he is without even trying.

Tony held Morgan tightly as they tried to catch their breath. Tony held her clutched in his arms as he coughed, looking around as he did.

“Peter?” Tony called out.

“Yeah?” Tony let out an immediate sigh of relief when he heard the boy’s voice. He turned again to see him giving Tony that concerned expression with wide eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m supposed to be asking you that,” Tony replied. He looked down at Morgan, who was looking up at him with the same expression Peter had on his face. “You guys okay?” Morgan nodded slightly, looking at their surroundings.

“Yeah, I just don’t have a good feeling about this…” Peter replied. Tony felt his stomach drop. If Peter didn’t feel good, that wasn’t a good sign. Tony set Morgan down on her feet. She immediately fixed the dress she was wearing, with crinoline and the works that Pepper had picked out for their dinner outing. Shit, Tony realized. They were going to miss dinner.

“Where are we?” Morgan muttered, grabbing her dad’s hand. Tony opened his mouth to answer before realizing that he had no idea. He looked around to see them standing in the middle of an empty street. Tony’s mouth still hung open as he tried to formulate an explanation as to what was going on.

Tony remembered talking to Strange about five minutes ago. The man was annoyed with something out of his control, and Tony couldn’t remember what. Tony offered his condolences and claimed to need to get Peter and Morgan ready to go. Now, Tony was searching for an explanation.

“Uh, Tony” the kid stuttered. Tony looked over at him. “I think we should start walking.” Peter was looking down the street, and Tony had no idea what was going through the boy’s head, but it would do nobody any good if they continued to sit here and ponder about what was going on.

“Let’s go,” Tony declared, walking past Peter down the eerily dark and empty street.

They were surrounded by trees on both sides, and Tony didn’t exactly feel good about the situation. Peter was only in his jeans and one of Tony’s old MIT sweatshirts, despite Tony telling him nearly an hour ago to be ready. Either way, he didn’t have the Spiderman suit on hand. Tony wasn’t any better off, only in his button-down and slacks. They had virtually no protection.

The thought made Tony walk a bit faster. Peter had no trouble keeping up and probably would’ve walked faster if it weren’t for him and Morgan. It wasn’t long before Tony had Morgan back in his arms. She tiredly put her head on his shoulder as he walked faster.

“Do you see that?” Peter eventually said. Tony looked up, seeing nothing but what the streetlamps provided on the street.

“No…” Tony muttered, squinting into the distance.

“I think it’s a house.” Tony squinted harder, trying to make out whatever Peter was seeing in the nighttime fog. Eventually, it became hard to miss. And Peter was wrong. It wasn’t a house, it was a mansion. It was huge and lit up by its own light. The closer they got, the more Tony could recognize the familiar gate that enclosed it.

“Shit…” Tony muttered, realizing they had stumbled upon the Stark Mansion. “What the hell is going on?”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“This is,” Tony trailed off. Why would the lights be on? Tony couldn’t think of a single explanation as to why they would have ended up where they were or why the lights to an abandoned building were suddenly on. It was then that Tony noticed how new the mansion looked. Maybe not brand new, but it didn’t have the wear he had come to recognize it by in recent times. Things were starting to click as they grew closer.

“Should I press the button?” Peter asked, his finger itching to press the white button near the gates.

“No,” Tony immediately barked out. He was still looking at the mansion, trying to convince himself that this wasn’t real.

“But––” Peter was cut off at the sound of an engine. Both of them froze up and turned around as the sound grew louder and headlights rested on their frigid forms. Despite the headlights blinding him in the moonless night, Tony could make out and recognize that classic vehicle anywhere.

“Move out the way, Pete,” Tony demanded softly. Peter complied, standing close to Tony’s side as the car rolled forward slowly. Behind them, the gate opened, but the car slowed to a stop next to them.

“Tony, is that you? What are you doing home? Is that a beard? I can’t see. Come into the light.” Tony choked up at the indisputable sound of his mother’s voice. She was in the passenger seat close to them. Her eyes were squinting out, landing on Peter and then the little girl in his arms. She frowned in confusion. She studied his face, and her jaw dropped. “Howard, I––”

“What is it, Maria?” Howard drawled, sounding tired from his seat behind the wheel. “What are you doing?” He called out as Maria got out the car.

Tony didn’t move as his mother got closer to him. Eventually, she was standing right in front of him, staring into his eyes.

Maria Stark had little to no explanation as for what she is seeing. The only thing that assured her that she wasn’t crazy was the fact that Howard had pointed out the figures in the driveway first. But she didn’t know how to explain the fact that she was seeing her son probably twice the age she last knew him to be.

“Maria!” Howard yelled out, slamming the car door to follow his wife. He thought she was crazy for a second, getting out of the car to talk to a stranger in their driveway in the middle of the night. Howard saw how still she went, and he didn’t know what to think. “Who is that?”

Howard walked up to Maria, barely paying attention to the stranger she was talking to. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide and filled with an emotion Howard had never seen before. He was astonished before he looked at the man in front of her.

If Howard didn’t know any better, he’d say that he was staring at his son or even himself. The man was an exact, older replica of Anthony Edward Stark.

“Who?” Howard’s voice trailed off. Soon, he had the same astonished look that Maria adopted. “Who the hell are you?”

“Tony?” Maria moved forward, reaching out to touch Tony. Tony didn’t move. He was still frozen in shock at the realization. Peter bit his lip nervously, never moving and never taking his eyes off Tony.

“Mom?” Tony whispered despite his better judgement. Peter frowned and snapped his head towards the woman. He was staring at Maria Stark.

“Alright, pal,” Howard interrupted, pulling his wife back. “We don’t take strays. We’re going to need you to get off our property.”

“He has children, Howard,” Maria pointed out softly. Maria tried to get a better look at the little girl who had buried her head in Tony’s neck but to no avail.

“Like I give a shit,” Howard said, his voice shaking. Maria realized that Howard recognized their son in the man as well. “I’m not letting this lunatic into my house.”

“Is Jarvis home?” Tony asked softly. He knew the name would strike a chord in both of them. Though Jarvis wasn’t exactly a secret, it wasn’t likely for a stranger who looked like their son to ask for the family butler who was practically a second father.

“Get in the car, Howard,” Maria demanded. Howard scoffed and looked at her, shocked to see how serious she was being. “Now.”

“You can’t be serious. This is supernatural. You expect me to believe this man is my so––”

“Just get in the car,” Maria repeated. She gestured to the little girl in his arms and the young boy who stared at the entire interaction with eyes so big Maria double guessed his age. Howard bit his lip for a while before relenting. He got back behind the wheel. Maria opened the back door, gesturing for them to get in. Howard rolled through the gate once all doors were closed.

Peter jittered in his seat as Howard cruised up the drive. He kept looking at Tony’s parents and at Tony himself. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that they had to be in the past somehow. Tony’s parents were dead. He remembered Tony visiting with Strange, so he deduced that the interaction must have something to do with their current state.

“Tony?” Peter whispered nervously. Tony shook his head slowly when he saw how Maria and Howard both perked up. He looked over at Peter as reassuringly as he could. Just wait, he tried to convey.

They rolled up to the front doors. Howard cut the engine and got out the car. Maria looked back at them and smiled. Tony carefully got out the car so as not to wake Morgan. Peter followed after him nervously. Tony felt his stomach drop when he saw Edwin Jarvis standing in the front door, analyzing Tony. Howard whispered something in the man’s ear, causing Jarvis to nod and enter the house.

“How about we talk in the lounge?” Maria suggested, gesturing for them to follow her.

Peter felt out of place in his, technically Tony’s, worn hoodie in the luxurious mansion. Maria was clearly dressed like she had come back from a special event. She took out her earrings as they settled into one of the many expensive couches in the room. Howard came back in and sat across from them, never taking his eyes off Tony. Maria eventually sat next to him, thanking Jarvis as he brought in beverages for all of them.

“Should I get you a soda, young sir?” Jarvis offered Peter, who blushed awkwardly.

“Uh…”

“No caffeine this late,” Tony answered for him, thinking off the last time Peter had a sugar rush in the middle of the night. Jarvis perked an eyebrow up thoughtfully and nodded, pouring Peter a water. It was quiet for a few moments after Jarvis walked out of the room.

“Okay,” Howard said, startling all of them with his clap. “Let’s say you are Tony––”

“Howard!” Maria exclaimed, blushing at his blatancy.

“Here’s the thing, my lazy ass son just got swept off to another semester at MIT,” Howard started again, glancing at Peter’s hoodie. “Yet, you arrive looking just like him, maybe thirty years older. Are you telling me you’re the same person?”

“I haven’t said anything yet,” Tony responded coolly. Howard narrowed his eyes at him. “What year is it?” Howard laughed, looking over at Maria.

“What year is it?” Howard repeated. He cleared his throat and answered seriously despite how unreal the situation felt. “1985.”

“What?” Peter squeaked out, looking over at Tony who didn’t looked as surprised as he felt. His parents looked at Peter, who looked like he regretted speaking.

“Where are you from?” Howard questioned, looking at Peter instead of Tony. Peter opened his mouth, but Tony interrupted.

“The future. Don’t interrogate him. Interrogate me,” Tony demanded.

“How old are you?” Maria asked softly, starting to believe the situation more with each second that passed.

“Old enough,” Tony answer with a forced smile. “Listen, you aren’t going to get answers about the future or our situation by interrogating us. I can tell you things about myself or you guys to get you to believe the situation better, but that’s about it until I figure out how I can get us out of here.” Howard scoffed.

“So you just expect us to believe that you time traveled?” Howard chuckled. Tony shrugged, cursing under his breath when he felt Morgan stir slightly. Howard looked at her. “Who’s this?”

“None of your business.” Howard nodded slowly.

“And who’s this? He’s wearing the hoodie you refuse to let Jarvis wash,” Howard noticed. Peter blushed under the man’s scrutinizing gaze. Tony was getting annoyed with how uncomfortable his father was making Peter feel.

“None of your business, so leave him alone,” Tony demanded. Maria was still looking at the sweatshirt. Tony had to resist shouting out when she got up and moved closer to Peter. Peter tried to relax a bit when Maria gave him a soft smile.

“May I?” Maria gesture to his hoodie. Peter didn’t know what she was talking about, so he just shrugged. He tried not to squirm when she reached behind his neck and pulled out the worn tag. She ran her thumb over it a few times thoughtfully. “Howard, it’s my handwriting.” Howard was staring at the entire interaction. His eyes flickered back to Tony when she spoke. “Howard, it’s him.”

* * *

 

When Morgan woke up, she didn’t know where she was. She did, however, recognize the snores of her dad next to her. She looked around, expecting to see her mom, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She thought about waking her dad, but a loud snore made her decide against it. She crawled out of the bed, noticing that she was wearing a large t-shirt instead of her dress. She padded across the carpet and opened the bedroom door.

The door led out into a long hallway. Morgan looked back and forth before exiting. Her hands clutched the shirt as she walked down the hallway and, eventually, down the stairs. She didn’t recognize the potential danger or unusual situation like her dad did. She was, however, amazed with how shiny and new everything in the very large house was. She smelled food and smiled instinctively.

In the kitchen, there was an older man cooking at the stove. Morgan naturally walked silently, taking a seat at one of the stools at the island, swinging her legs back and forth. She figured this man knew her dad. When the man turned around, he was surprised to see the little girl smiling at him from behind the island. He recognized her as the little girl in Anthony’s hands last night.

“Good morning, miss,” Jarvis greeted, walking over to the fridge.

“Good morning,” Morgan responded instantly.

“Can I interest you in some juice?” Jarvis asked, pulling out the freshly squeezed jug he had made earlier. Morgan smiled wider and eagerly nodded. Jarvis smiled back softly and procured her a small glass to drink from. “I see you’re an early riser.”

“Mmhmm,” Morgan hummed, downing the entire glass. Jarvis poured her another.

“Are you hungry? We have many options you can eat.”

“Do you have toast?” Morgan asked with a shy smile.

“Yes, we do, miss.” Jarvis moved to start preparing the toast. “Can I offer you eggs as well?”

“Yes, please,” Morgan responded.

Jarvis had expected the child to ruin his fluent breakfast routine with incessant bothering, but he was pleasantly surprised to see how polite she had remained. The little girl was fairly quiet and ate her toast and eggs with a proper fork, asking for jelly shyly.

“Oh.” Morgan turned to see a woman in a pink robe and a man fully dressed beside her. She didn’t recognize them, but they looked familiar. She thought that maybe this was their house, so she smiled at them.

“Good morning,” she greeted, taking a bite of toast. They both stared at her without responding, so she turned back to her meal.

“Good morning, may I offer you a coffee?” Morgan heard Jarvis greet them. She heard a mumbled response from the man. Howard sat at the small table, opening up the newspaper Jarvis had retrieved earlier. Maria hesitantly sat down next to Morgan.

“Good morning, dear,” the woman greeted. Morgan smiled again. “What’s your name?”

“Morgan,” Morgan mumbled.

“That’s a pretty name,” Maria replied, thanking Jarvis for the tea he set in front of her. “How old are you Morgan.”

“Five.”

“That’s very big, sweetheart,” Maria whispered excitedly, making Morgan giggle at her antics. “Where’s your father?”

“Still sleeping,” Morgan answered, confirming for all three adults in the room that Tony was her father. “He snores.” Maria chuckled.

“I bet he does. What about your brother? What’s his name?” Maria tried out. She could see Howard looking at her from the corner of her eye.

“Peter,” Morgan answered without thinking. It hadn’t taken very long for Tony to explain their relationship to her when she was only a bit younger. She had come to know him as her brother despite. Tony explaining how they weren’t blood related.

“Peter…” Maria repeated, looking over at Howard. He still had his newspaper up but was clearly listening to the conversation his wife was having with his supposed granddaughter. “You look so much like your father. You have his eyes.”

“That’s what everyone says,” Morgan whined, having heard that phrase too many times to count. Maria laughed.

“Who’s your mother?” Maria glared at Howard when he finally decided to join the conversation with a blunt question.

“Pepper,” Morgan answered, recalling the name she’d heard her dad call her mom multiple times. “She’s pretty. She has red hair. I wish I had red hair.”

“You have beautiful hair,” Maria complimented, patting the dark hair of the girl comfortingly. “Your father’s going to have a lot to deal with when you get older.” This caused Jarvis to smile, who had listened to the conversation despite his better judgement. To think of Anthony, his Anthony who was probably drunk out of his mind at college, with a child was heartwarming in many ways. He hadn’t even known the child for more than a few minutes and could already see so much of him in her.

“Do you not recognize us, kid?” Howard asked the question Maria had desperately been wondering herself. If this was Tony’s child, why didn’t she recognize them? Morgan didn’t get a chance to answer before they were distracted by another presence in the room.

“Good morning, young sir,” Jarvis greeted Peter, who was blushing at the unexpected attention he was getting. He nervously tugged on his borrowed shirt.

“G-good morning,” Peter stuttered a greeting to everyone in the room.

“Petey!” Morgan yelled out, throwing her hands in the air as a greeting. She picked up a piece of her toast and waved it at him. “Toast!” Peter smiled.

“Yeah, I see that,” Peter responded, not sure how to feel about the entire scene. Based on how much Morgan had eaten, she had probably been alone with everyone for quite some time, making Peter nervous about what she could have said.

“Would you like some breakfast, young sir?” Jarvis asked, gesturing to the various dishes he had made. He fixed Maria and Howard’s plates, setting them down in front of the two. Peter felt his stomach growl and nodded almost instantly. Jarvis gestured to the seat beside Morgan.

“Where’s Tony?” Peter asked Morgan. Maria frowned at Peter using his dad’s name before guessing that he must be trying to keep the whole thing secret. She felt a bit bad that she had extracted the information from Morgan who couldn’t have known better.

“Snoring,” Morgan muttered, taking a sip of juice. “Where are we?”

“Uh…” Peter stalled, looking at the other occupants of the room who were also wondering what Peter was going to say. “Vacation?” Morgan frowned.

“Mommy is going to be mad we missed dinner,” Morgan pouted.

“They rescheduled,” Peter offered as an explanation. Morgan didn’t show any signs of disbelief, so Peter counted that as a win.

“Peter, huh?” Howard said from his seat. He had completely abandoned the newspaper. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen, sir,” Peter answered hesitantly.

“Sixteen, huh? That’s getting up there. Know what you want to do after high school?” Peter hadn’t thought that he’d have to face the same social situations he dreaded in the 21st century, but here he was.

“Uh, chemistry, maybe?” Peter offered non-committedly. “Maybe engineering? I don’t really know.” Howard nodded along with each answer Peter provided, ignoring the glare Maria was sending his way.

“What’s your father doing these days?” Howard asked casually. Peter felt himself blanche.

“Howard,” Maria reprimanded.

“What? I’m just curious as to what my son is getting up to thirty plus years later where his own children don’t recognize us,” Howard barked out bitterly. Peter narrowed his eyes.

“I know who you are,” Peter said. He didn’t offer any further explanation.

“Let me guess,” Howard drawled. “He fucked it up, didn’t he?”

“Howard!” Maria yelled, nodding towards Morgan. “This is not appropriate.”

“Stark Industries? Do you even know what that is, or did he complete ruin its legacy, too?”

“Why would you assume––” Maria started.

“Because the kid didn’t even mention the multi-million-dollar company I built! He’s his oldest son, and he acts like he had no intention of taking over the business, so Tony must have fucked it up. I knew it––”

“Actually, it’s a multi-billion-dollar company, now,” Peter interrupted, causing Howard to pause. Even Jarvis had to stop to look at Peter for a few seconds. “It provides world-renowned technology decades ahead of other products in the market, and it’s leading in annual donations to charities all over.”

“Technology?” Howard repeated, trying to think of what the word could mean in the context Peter puts it in. “What––”

“Daddy!” Morgan immediately hopped out of the chair and ran towards her dad, who was standing in the doorway with a bewildered expression on his face. He instinctively picked Morgan up as she ran at him. Meanwhile, Howard was trying to make sense of what Peter said to him about a multi-billion-dollar company.

“Why did you get out of bed?” Tony interrogated the young girl quietly.

“I wanted to eat,” Morgan responded charmingly, trying to stave off any repercussions her actions might have. “Petey said we were on vacation. I thought we were going to have dinner with Mommy?”

“Plans change.” Tony hadn’t even acknowledged the stares of everyone else in the room until Morgan’s arms tightened around Tony. He looked up, trying to figure out what they could have wrunginged out of his children in the time he was asleep.

Jarvis smiled at Anthony when their eyes met. Though this man acted almost entirely different from the young man he sent off with a hug back to college, there was almost no mistaking the soft eyes Anthony had when he looked at someone he cared about. Jarvis never thought he’d live long enough to see the boy grow into fatherhood, so he was more than grateful for the brief seconds he got to see with Anthony and his daughter.

Maria, on the other hand, felt herself tear up at the interaction. Not too long ago, she was reprimanding Tony for ignoring his father once again as he prepared to head back to school. Tony was no stranger to daddy issues, and that was what probably made her feel so joyous to see him as a father. In the few seconds she had seen the two together, she had no doubt that the girl adored her father. From the way she lit up when she saw him to the way she practically strangled him with her tiny arms, love was ever present.

Howard didn’t know what to make of the situation. His scientific brain was still trying to understand the entire time travel situation. He was back and forth in believing it. This came to a head once again when he saw the little girl run into Tony’s arms. Howard had always had his doubts when it came to Tony. The kid was smart, really fucking smart, but he was lazy. He knew he was probably fucking around at college instead of applying himself, and Howard wasn’t really sure Tony would ever grow out of it. He just hoped that the boy would mature enough to make sure the company wouldn’t go to shit after it was passed on. Fatherhood had never come to Howard’s mind.

The oddest part was how natural it seemed to Tony. Howard couldn’t remember a single time he held Tony like that, but it was clear Tony did it all the time with his own daughter. He wasn’t entirely sure what the child was doing running at Tony, so he was astonished to see how swiftly he picked her up. It made Howard question more than ever question whether this was the boy they raised.

“Uh, Dad,” Peter tried out, glancing over at Howard as he said it. Tony immediately looked over at him, a bit astonished at the title. He tried not to react to it too much when he saw what Peter was trying to do. “How are we going to get home?”

“I thought it was vacation,” Morgan pouted. She was too smart for her own good. To that question, Tony had no answer. Time travel was Strange’s thing, and Tony wasn’t even sure if Strange knew what had happened.

“I don’t know. I need some time, Pete,” Tony sighed, pressing a hand to his face while he carried Morgan with another. He offered her seat back, but she refused to be let down. Tony sighed as he sat at the table uncomfortably across from Howard. Jarvis brought him a cup of coffee, which Tony responded grateful smile and a “Thank you.”

“You know, if you told us what exactly was going on, we could potentially help––” Howard started to suggest his aid.

“No,” Tony interrupted, barely sparing a glance. “You’re not getting access to information about the future through us, so stop trying it. It hasn’t even been a full day yet. We have to wait to see what Strange is going to do.” Tony directed the last sentence at Peter, who didn’t looked very relieved at the information.

* * *

 

Maria had quickly fallen in love with Morgan, having never expected to have a granddaughter. She had begged Tony to let her take Morgan out for a few outfits that fit her and some ice cream. Tony had relented despite his anxiety when his mother guilt-tripped him. Tony was left at home to try and calm Peter, who was still tense about the whole situation.

Tony ran his fingers through the boy’s hair to surprise him from behind. Instead of jumping in alarm, Peter relaxed at the touch.

“You okay?” Tony asked, taking a seat next to Peter in the empty living room.

“Sure, I guess. It’s just, what if Strange doesn’t come?” Tony sighed.

“Pete, I promise I’m going to get you home, with or without Strange,” Tony assured him. “Just relax and let me worry about the schematics of the whole thing, yeah?”

“I had a huge test in physics––” Peter stopped when he heard Tony’s snort.

“You realize we time traveled, right?” Peter scoffed.

“Yeah, but I studied really hard for it! Don’t get me wrong. I’m amazed about the entire thing, but you don’t know how long it took me to do that battery problem––”

“I meant that Strange could probably get us back seconds after we disappeared.” Peter fell silent, thinking for a few seconds.

“If that’s true, then why hasn’t he come yet?” That was a fair question.

“He probably has to figure out where we are first.” Tony wasn’t too sure about the answer either, but he was tired of seeing Peter so stressed out. Tony threw an arm over the kid’s shoulder. “Chill out. You get a free vacation from school without even missing school. I would have killed for that.”

“You would be graduating from school in a year,” Peter pointed out with a pout, not forgetting how advanced Tony had been by his age.

“Yeah, and I wish I was in your shoes,” Tony responded, recognizing some of the self-doubt Peter was building up within himself. “Yo get to live out your years with your best friends and still go to the best college ever.” Tony winked at him at that last part, making Peter chuckle and shrug.

“I don’t know. Columbia is looking really––”

“Please don’t,” Tony interrupted. “Pepper says I’m not allowed to disown you just because you go to another school, but I can publicly humiliate you.”

“Pepper is on my side. We can humiliate you. We have videos,” Peter mentioned vaguely. Tony’s jaw dropped.

“Wow, betrayed by my own wife,” Tony said thoughtfully. “That’s fine. I’ve recruited Morgan. She’s the mastermind.”

“No, you didn’t!” Peter narrowed his eyes, trying to catch a bluff. Tony smirked and nodded.

“I’m her favorite. She loves me 3000. You and Pepper are around the 700 level,” Tony teased.

Tony was glad Peter was easing up and joking around. Neither of them had noticed Howard watching from the shadows. He hadn’t been entirely sure that Peter was Tony’s son, but seeing the boy fall into familiar banter with his son confirmed it. Howard thought he was watching one of those cheesy family movies Maria liked. Tony and Peter had none of the disconnect Howard felt with his own son. Hell, his Tony was about the same age as Peter right now, and Howard couldn’t even begin to imagine sharing the same humor with him. Tony had ended up like the father he wished he could be all those years ago.

* * *

 

Jarvis brought Tony a sandwich later that night, cut into diagonals like Tony remembered. Jarvis offered Tony a glass of liquor, surprised when Tony turned it down, claiming that he needed to keep a clear mind for the kids. It wasn’t exactly time for Jarvis to quit for the night, but he couldn’t help sitting across from Tony as the man scarfed down the sandwich.

“You’ve grown into a proper man, Anthony,” Jarvis started. Tony paused mid-bite, looking up at Jarvis. “You’ve nearly as much gray hair as me.” Tony scoffed, smiling behind his sandwich.

“You don’t know that. You’ve hardly known me a day,” Tony replied.

“I’ve known you your entire life,” Jarvis corrected. His old eyes looked at him as if he were a child again. “Despite what your father may have told you, I always knew you’d grow into your intelligence and potential, and you have not proved me wrong.”

“I’ve done bad things, Jarvis,” Tony muttered.

“And look who you are because of them,” Jarvis whispered. “I wish that your father had treated you the same way you treat your children. Nevertheless, I’m astonishingly happy to see you do right by them. I can only hope that you hadn’t forgotten about me over the years.” Tony felt himself tear up. He couldn’t tell him about JARVIS. That would take too much explaining. Besides, Jarvis didn’t need the explanation. He could see from the tears in Tony’s eyes and the slight smile on his face that he was remembered.

“I don’t know how I got on without you,” Tony admitted. “I was a mess.”

“And now you’re a hero.” Tony frowned at him. “Treasure the way your kids look at you, Anthony. You are a hero to them.” Tony nodded slowly. “You’ve proved your father wrong. You’ve proved yourself wrong. I’m sure you’ve proved many others wrong along the way. I have no doubt it was all worth it to get you where you needed to be: with your children.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner talks, bubble baths, and special guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially had more ideas for this work when I published it as a one shot, but thought I would just save them for another time. Then, nearly all the comments were asking for a continuation, so I thought why not.  
> So, here you go.  
> This was is a little more action than thought and a little more angst than fluff.

Howard would admit that he never really had the best relationship with his own father. His own father had been colder and more calculating than Howard was. Tony didn’t know how good he had it. Still, he could also admit that the relationship between Tony and Peter was unlike anything Howard had ever seen before.

For one, the two joked around constantly. Howard didn’t even see his own teenager joke around like the older version of him did. Tony teased Peter almost constantly. Howard expected to see the boy roll his eyes and snub his father, but Peter almost always smiled and responded with something equally as snarky. The second thing that surprised Howard was how often they touched. Tony didn’t even want to come near his father, much less hug him. Though, Howard wasn’t too eager to hug the other either. However, Peter had no qualms about throwing his arms around his dad at any given moment. Tony’s eyes would crinkle in amusement before he threw his own around Peter’s shoulders. A bit more subtly, Tony would ruffle Peter’s head a lot. Howard did notice the boy roll his eyes at that and fix it, but there was always a small smile on his face as he did so.

Peter was nothing like Howard’s son. Howard had been surprised to learn that Peter really had no intentions of just skipping ahead to college like his son was currently doing. The reasons seemed so petty to him: friends, his Aunt, and even Tony.

“Aren’t you supposed to encourage the boy’s education, Anthony?” Howard grumbled one night at dinner. They had finally dressed everyone properly, so they didn’t walk around the house looking like slobs. Morgan was particularly happy with the arrangement, picking out a pair of jeans despite Howard’s complaints.

“He’s the smartest kid in his school,” Tony bragged. “He’ll get into MIT when he’s ready and be the best one there, too.” Peter blushed and picked at his food. Maria hid a smile behind another bite of food.

“So, you’re saying he’s nothing special,” Howard replied with a sigh. Peter sunk down in his seat a bit.

“I’m saying that he’s allowed to grow up like a normal kid despite how intelligent he is,” Tony corrected, a little aggravation showing through.

“What can he do?” Peter opened his mouth but immediately closed it when he saw the warning glare Tony shot at him.

“Whatever he wants to,” Tony answered. It wasn’t the answer Howard was expecting. Anytime Howard asked his own son whether he had actually achieved anything while he was away, Tony would rattle off a list of the things he built or won. It was always a pretty lengthy list, but Howard knew he could do better. He had expected the same thing from Tony now, but he was still getting used to the idea that his son had grown and changed. The rest of the meal proceeded fairly quietly. Tony grew more worried with each day that passed without Strange showing up, and he realized he might need to take matters into his own hands soon enough.

“I want cake, Daddy,” Morgan pouted prettily, knowing her sad eyes almost always won Tony over. It was late, and Tony originally had no intention of giving Morgan or Peter any sweets. But Peter wasn’t in a good mood, and Morgan’s puppy eyes were irresistible. Jarvis had a small smile on his face as he watched Tony’s face morph from one of resistance to defeat.

“A small slice,” Tony agreed. Morgan and Peter both threw celebratory fists into the air at the news, making Maria and Jarvis smile and Howard’s frown deepen. Jarvis brought out a couple of small plates and glasses a milk for the two of them.

“What do you like to do, Morgan?” Maria asked while Morgan happily ate her cake.

“I like to draw,” Morgan started off, her eyes flickering up to the ceiling as she thought about things she did. “I like to go outside. I like to play Legos with Peter. I like to build—”

“Build what?” Howard asked before the little girl’s attention could be diverted to something else. She shrugged.

“Pete and I made a pretty house.” Again, it was not the answer Howard was expecting. “Pete builds robots that I can play with.”

“Do you like robots?” Maria asked before Howard could start interrogating Peter again. Morgan nodded enthusiastically.

“Mommy won’t let me make one yet,” Morgan pouted. Howard raised an eyebrow at Tony. He shrugged.

“She’s too young.”

“You were building at four.”

“In dangerous conditions,” Tony pointed out. “She needs to get better at hand-eye coordination, and she’s barely tall enough to see over the workstation with a stool. She has plenty of time.” Howard didn’t look pleased, but Tony was barely giving him the time of day.

“I am big enough,” Morgan pouted. Maria giggled, absolutely enamored by her.

“Not if you gain your daddy’s short genes.” Peter snorted almost immediately, trying to cover it up with a cough when Tony shot him a glare that had no malice. Tony then turned to his mother with his jaw dropped.

“I’m not short!” Tony protested. Morgan giggled, shoving another piece of cake in her mouth. Her face was beginning to be covered in chocolate.

“My Mommy’s tall! I can be tall like her!” Morgan said. Maria’s eyebrow perked up, and she grew a glance at Tony.

“She’s gorgeous isn’t she? You always went after the pretty ones,” Maria asked. “She has to be, considering how pretty Morgan is.” Pepper thought Morgan’s ego was going to be big because of Tony. Tony laughed at what she would think about his mother.

“Actually, she’s the only one who could put up with me for this long,” Tony answered.

“Where’d you meet her?” Howard asked.

“She was my PA…” Tony trailed off. “She, uh, became CEO of Stark Industries.” Tony couldn’t help himself. He was fucking proud of her all the time, and he knew what his father’s reaction would be. Howard had paused, slowly turning to look at Tony. His face was starting to turn red, but Tony no longer got scared like he would have all those years ago. Even Maria looked completely astonished. Tony could’ve softened that blow by acknowledging that Tony was technically dying, but that would just freak his mother out.

“You let this woman take your position—”

“I _gave_ her the position,” Tony corrected. “Before I married her,” Tony rubbed it in. Maria gave him a look that indicated that she knew what he was doing.

“You’re clearly just doing this to make me angry,” Howard muttered. Tony nodded.

“Is it working?” Howard glared at him and said nothing. The room fell silent except for the scraping made by Peter and Morgan as they finished up their slices.

“If I may, sir,” Jarvis said when he entered the room. “It is getting quite late. It may be an appropriate time to get Miss Morgan into the bath and ready for bed.”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Tony said, getting up. Morgan grinned to show him her chocolate covered teeth. Hardly anyone was surprised at this point when Morgan jumped up to grab her dad’s hand as they headed out of the room. Jarvis started to clear the table. Peter cleared his throat before dismissing himself from the table. Maria turned towards Howard.

“What?” He grumbled.

“Stop being so hard on him,” Maria chastised.

“Hard on him?” Howard scoffed. “He’s purposefully trying to get me riled up. Did you hear what he just said? He gave my company away to some chick he fu—”

“After he made it a multi-billion-dollar business,” Maria reminded him softly. “Something you haven’t even foreseen happening.”

“What does it matter?” Howard complained. “I might as well give up now. He gave it away, ruining our legacy. His son acts like he has no intention of going into the business—”

“You don’t know that, Howard. He’s a smart boy. He may work in the research and development department.”

“Who know what his daughter will do. He can’t even be bothered to teach her anything.”

“She’s a child.”

“And doesn’t it bother you that they act like they don’t know us?” Howard ended angrily. Maria sighed, because it did bother it. She realized that she loved Morgan and Peter in the little time that she’s known them, but they acted like she was a stranger.

“I don’t think we’re around anymore, Howard.” Howard snorted.

“Yeah, because the little shit probably pretends we don’t exist.”

“I think we’re dead.” Howard froze. Maria could see his brows furrow, so she knew he was thinking.

“Dead?” Maria nodded.

“I know you think Tony has it out for you—”

“Think?”

“But he’s a grown man now. He’s not going to keep his children from his grandparents because he didn’t get along with you when he was a teenager.”

“How do you know that? Did you not just hear him?” Maria giggled despite her better judgement.

“You’ve egged him on just as much. If you want him to respect you now, stop treating him like the child you just sent off to college.” Maria’s smile dropped, and she cleared her throat. “Besides, even Tony looked like he had seen a ghost.”

“You’re sticking with this death theory?”

“Don’t bring it up?” Howard scoffed.

“Why? It’s my death.” Maria gave him a deadpan look.

“He clearly doesn’t want us to know. Howard, look at me,” Maria demanded. Howard heaved a sigh and looked at her. “We don’t know how long we have. It could be months, or it could be years.”

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“Every time Tony leaves, you guys are left off on a bad note.” Howard looked like he was ready to argue but stopped when he saw Maria’s face. “We can’t stop our deaths, but you can fix whatever problems you have. Whether you do that now with the Tony years into the future or with the boy trudging his way through school is up to you.”

“So, I’m at fault here?” Howard grumbled. Maria didn’t say anything, but the look on her face said it all. Howard groaned.

“And another thing,” Maria added while standing up, “We may be dead before his son is even born, so leave a good impression.”

* * *

 

Tony sat on the toilet seat while Morgan was literally covered in bubbles. He had turned away for two seconds only to look back and see she had poured practically half the bottle into the bath. She gave him a mischievous smile, and Tony knew she committed the deed with purpose. Morgan seemed to be having a good time, and Tony just had to hope that Peter hadn’t gotten himself trapped with his dad. Tony had faith that Jarvis wouldn’t let that happen.

Tony allowed himself to sag back and look as tired as he felt. The stress was starting to get to him and so were the memories. Tony had been so caught up in keeping secrets and getting home that he never let himself think about seeing his dead parents and Jarvis again. Seeing his mom interact with his children was something that he’d never get to experience again. It put a lump in his throat because of how happy Morgan seemed to be to spend time with her.

Being around his father again reminded him how stressed he had been to become a parent in the first place. God, Morgan was so different from how Tony was at her age. Tony could barely stand to look his own father in the eye, while Morgan would get sad if Tony didn’t take her hand in a timely manner.

Peter was entirely different too. Sure, Tony didn’t raise him, but, if Tony had been like Howard, the kid would’ve already been off to college by now. Instead, Peter came over sometimes to babble on about some movie he watched with Ned or tell him how he aced that essay he stayed up all night to work on. Peter told him what he was actually interested in instead of Tony who kept quiet about everything. Tony could distinctly remember telling everyone how much he hated his father and all the snorts he got, waving him off as a moody teen too young for college. Peter, on the other hand, looked thrilled to see him every time, no matter how much Tony thought the kid was sick of seeing his face.

Tony was thrown back into reality when a wad of bubbles hit his face. He looked down at Morgan, who looked like she didn’t lose any ammo from her large fleet of bubbles. She giggled, and Tony smiled.

* * *

 

“Can I get you something to drink?” Jarvis asked Peter when he walked in to see the young boy sitting by himself.

“Uh, sure?” Peter answered. Jarvis brought him a glass of water, remembering Tony’s last request that his son not have caffeine too late. “Thanks.”

“Are you enjoying your stay here?”

“Uh, it’s nice. I get to miss school.” Jarvis smiled. “So, you raised Tony, right?” Jarvis was taken back but nodded. Jarvis knew he was getting up there and age and had little chance of knowing Tony’s children. That made the interaction all that more valuable. He hadn’t, however, been expecting to have Peter know more about him than his grandparents.

“I suppose you can say I did,” Jarvis whispered. “Did he tell you that?”

“Not directly,” Peter responded. “His A.I., FRIDAY, told me about her predecessor.”

“I don’t suppose FRIDAY is anything like his current A.I., DUM-E?” Jarvis mused. Peter snorted.

“Uh, DUM-E’s smarter now, but he’s got nothing on FRIDAY. FRI is, like, the smartest person I’ve ever talked to. Well, she’s tied with Karen. Karen is the A.I. T—er, my dad made for me.”

“How smart?” Jarvis encouraged him to continue talking. Peter looked excited to keep doing so.

“She knows the answer to any question I ask. To be fair, she has access to the internet, but she also helps me solve physics problems. I have to do that when Dad isn’t paying attention though, because he says it’s cheating.”

“She sounds quite interesting,” Jarvis replied honestly. “How does she know about me?”

“Oh, Dad’s last A.I. was named Jarvis,” Peter explained casually. Jarvis froze. “Something happened to him, so he’s gone now. It makes him sad to think about it, but FRIDAY’s great.”

“Well, I’m very honored,” Jarvis told him. Peter smiled at him. “I heard earlier that you were quite the little genius, just like your father. What do you like to do?” Peter blushed.

“Uh, mainly science. Not biology very much. I can’t remember how muscles work very well. I like chemistry and physics though,” Peter stammered out. “I mean, Dad’s a lot smarter though…”

“I have no doubt that your father is very proud of you,” Jarvis said with a smile. “He told me himself how smart you are.”

“Yeah?” Peter stammered. “That’s cool.” He was going to smack himself for sounding so stupid.

“Does he not tell you this himself?”

“No, he does, but that’s just things adults do,” Peter mumbled. Sure, Peter’s stomach got tingly with pride every time Tony complimented him, but adults were supposed to say stuff like that.

“On the contrary,” Jarvis said, taking a seat across from Peter with his own cup of tea. “I cannot recall Howard doing the same for Anthony. I don’t think it’s common for many parents to relay to their kids how proud they are. Like love, it’s expected to be inferred. I’m glad Anthony hasn’t made the same mistake.” Peter’s face was flushed. Jarvis smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t make the same mistake, Peter. Anthony needs the encouragement just as much as you.”

“Yeah…”

* * *

 

Tony knew his parents, particularly his father, would be absolutely pissed for him showing up at home randomly, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a shit. He was tired of college and all the shitty people that came along with it. It was kind of a shame that he’d rather be at home where he would no doubt get lectured rather than miles away. Tony had been packing a bag when Rhodey walked into their dorm.

“Going somewhere?” He asked, dropping his backpack down. Tony glanced over at him.

“Home.” Rhodey scoffed.

“Home? You can’t just leave,” Rhodey protested. Tony laughed and zipped up his bag.

“Watch me.” Tony walked out the dorm and slammed the door behind him. He was outside, wondering how he was actually going to get home without a ride. He huffed and stood for a few more minutes before he heard footsteps. Rhodey walked up next to him, dropping his own overnight bag on the ground. “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming with.” Rhodey answered casually, putting his hands in his pockets.

“What?” Tony exclaimed. “Why?”

“Because, you’re clearly not going to listen to me here, so I’m going to make sure you come back to school eventually.” Tony scoffed.

“That’s what my mom and dad and Jarvis are for. I think the only way my dad would let me stay home is if he had to bury me.”

“Then why are you going back?”

“Because I need a break from this shit, so I’m willing to deal with that shit for a while.”

“Well, then you’ll need me to get you through that shit,” Rhodey concluded. Tony gave him a blank stare. “I care about you, man.” Tony groaned.

“Stop! You know I can’t stand that gushy stuff—”

“You’re my best friend—”

“Rhodey! Jesus, fine!” Tony relented, covering his ears. Rhodey smirked and picked up his bag.

“Come on. You clearly don’t know where the bus station is.”

“There’s a station?”

* * *

 

It was the first time Tony had traveled home from school without Jarvis or some other driver to retrieve him. It was also the first time Rhodey had been to his house. Tony couldn’t lie to himself, he was self-conscious. Rhodey had reassured him since they started being friends that he didn’t _really_ think Tony was a brat, no matter how many times he teased. However, he still was afraid Rhodey would see the literal mansion and change his mind about him.

“This is, uh, my house,” Tony said as a cab pulled up. Rhodey nodded.

“Your family has interesting tastes,” Rhodey said. Tony snorted and nodded.

“That’s one way to put it.” Tony paid the cab driver, and they stood in front of the gate. They had come all this way, and Tony was just now thinking of the consequences of ditching college. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“Yep. Ready to go back to school?” Rhodey agreed. Tony groaned.

“I’m already here. I might as well see my mom.” Rhodey smiled at Tony, so he glared back. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Mama’s boy—”

“I will leave you on the porch, Rhodey!” Rhodey laughed while Tony composed himself. “Listen, it’s not my mom I’m worried about—”

“It’s your dad. Yeah, I know about your daddy issues, Tones—”

“Don’t call them that!” Tony exasperated, horrified. Rhodey frowned.

“I’m sorry? Your issues with your father…” Tony glared. “It’s fine. All kids get homesick. Just explain the situation to them—”

“I’m not all kids!” Tony explained. “He’s going to be so pissed.” Tony actually sounded horrified, making Rhodey’s frown deepen.

“Well, that’s what I’m here for.” Tony’s shoulders sagged.

“What are you going to do? He’s my father.”

“Whatever you need me to do, even if that’s just pulling you out of here to go back to school.” Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. He pressed the button to alert Jarvis that he was at the gate.

Jarvis usually had a kind smile on his face when he saw Tony. Maybe Tony came home too soon, because Jarvis actually looked disturbed.

“Master Anthony,” Jarvis greeted. He had yet to move out from in front of the doorway.

“Jarvis!” Tony greeted enthusiastically, throwing his hands in the air. Jarvis’ genuine smile appeared on his face as they shared a hug.

“You’re supposed to be at school,” Jarvis pointed out, looking over his shoulder at Rhodey. Rhodey gave a sheepish wave and a smile. Tony turned.

“Oh, right. This is Rhodey.” Jarvis perked up.

“Ah, so you’re the infamous James Rhodes I’ve heard so much about.” Rhodey’s head immediately snapped toward Tony, wondering what of the many embarrassing stories he could have told. Jarvis smiled at Rhodey. “Thank you for taking care of him.” Tony’s jaw dropped as Rhodey coughed awkwardly.

“He’s my friend. That’s what friends do,” Rhodey stuttered out. Tony turned back and raised an eyebrow at Jarvis.

“Did my dad find out I ditched and kick me out the house already?” Tony mused. Jarvis looked uncertain.

“No, it’s just a difficult situation to explain.” That made Tony’s stomach drop. He couldn’t settle on a single situation that would make Jarvis nervous while simultaneously keeping him out of his own home. His mind went through a million possibilities before everyone was distracted by the sound of light footsteps and a tiny girl that came up beside Jarvis.

Tony and the little girl stared at each other for a while. Tony wasn’t really one for kids, but the child was absolutely adorable. Her hair was dark and damp, so Tony guessed she must have just come from that bath. She was dressed in a set of tiny silk pajamas, which, if Tony didn’t know any better, he would say were courtesy of his own mother. What child wore silk pajamas?

“Do you have a secret little sister you hid from me?” Rhodey whispered, also looking at the girl. Tony slowly shook his head.

“Not that I know of.”

“Really? Because she looks _just_ like you.” Jarvis didn’t feel nervous often, but he thought his heart might have skipped a beat when Morgan ran up to him at the perfectly inconvenient time he decided to greet the unexpected guests. Morgan was smart, but she was curious. Jarvis didn’t know what to do to get her away without clueing in the younger Tony what was going on.

“That’s weird,” was all that Morgan said. Jarvis’ jaw would’ve dropped if he hadn’t composed himself better. Tony and Rhodey frowned at her as the little girl trotted away. Tony pointed to where she went.

“Who was that?” Tony asked.

“Who’s at the door this late, Jarvis?” Maria Stark came up behind Jarvis, dressed in her own silk pajamas with a robe. Her eyes fell on Tony and Rhodey before they bulged out.

“Tony?” Jarvis stepped aside as Maria stepped forward to wrap her arms around her teenage son. “Christ, what are you doing home? Are you hurt?”

“Only my soul,” Tony mumbled into her shoulder. She pulled back and smacked his shoulder.

“Seriously, you can’t just show up out of the blue! I thought you were in trouble. At least give me a call!” Maria looked over his shoulder at Rhodey. “Rhodes?”

“Good evening, ma’am.” Maria scoffed, giving him a hug as well. Over her shoulder, Tony mouthed the words “Good evening, ma’am,” to mock him. Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Why did you leave school.” Tony threw his head back and groaned, pushing his way into the house. Both Jarvis and Maria slightly protested, but Tony was too caught up in his own thoughts.

“Because I fucking hate it!” Tony complained.

“And I’m here to make sure he didn’t die getting here and eventually comes back,” Rhodey added. Maria gave him a soft smile and a pat on the shoulder.

“Also, what’s with the little girl?” Tony remembered. “Do you guys have a secret family when I’m not around?” Maria gave him a dumb stare.

“Of course not. It’s complicated. That’s why I really wished you had called ahead.” Tony snorted.

“Well, I’m not going now. I want answers. Who’s here?” Tony walked through the house with everyone trailing after him. Jarvis and Maria talked over each other, each trying to come up with an explanation. Rhodey looked confused at what they were saying, but Tony was hardly paying attention. Tony eventually made it to a sitting room where a teenage boy was sitting on the couch. The boy looked up when all the people came in, and his eyes widened.

“Da—I mean…” Peter trailed off when he saw Jarvis and Maria frantically shaking their heads behind Tony. Peter jaw eventually dropped open when he realized who he was.

Tony had no idea who the kid on the couch was. He looked about his age, but that provided no explanation. What more, he was wearing Tony’s MIT hoodie. Tony was almost certain that he had that in his own bag. What was going on?

“Who the hell is this?” Tony exclaimed. The expression on his mother’s face looked troubled, and Jarvis looked like he was still trying to come up with an explanation.

“I-I’m Peter…?” Peter introduced himself, making it sound like a question when he saw how concerned Maria looked at him speaking again.

“Yeah, who the hell are you?” Tony demanded, walking closer. Peter sunk in the couch as the younger Tony got in his face. Peter was amazed, actually, to see Tony this young. If Peter didn’t know that Tony was around his age, he would have guessed that this Tony was barely reaching his teens.

“I’m a family friend…” Peter tried, cringing at Tony’s expression. Tony stepped back, looking distraught. Tony looked up at Jarvis and his mom.

“So, what, Howard’s got some secret kid? He sends me away, so he can deal with this dude.” Maria moved towards Tony, but Tony flinched away.

“Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous. You’re making assumptions.”

“So, you’re saying he isn’t Howard’s kid?” Maria was starting to look angry.

“No, and I would appreciate if you would stop insinuating that your father had an affair!” Maria was near yelling. It felt quiet after her outburst. Tony glanced back at Peter who was shrunk into the couch.

“He’s smarter than me, isn’t he?” Tony muttered. “He’s already graduated, so you’re introducing him to the company.” Maria stopped him from talking when she came forward to wrap her arms around him.

“Even if Howard did have a secret child—which he doesn’t—I’d never let them replace you. Tony, please.” Maria used her hands to make Tony looked at her. “Stop with the assumptions.”

“Whose kids are these?” Maria looked pained, looking back at Jarvis.

“They’re family friends of mine, young sir,” Jarvis spoke up calmly. “It took some convincing for your father to allow them here, so…”

“So you didn’t want me here to aggravate him further,” Tony finished, looking away instead of at their faces.

“What’s going on in here?” Everyone seemed to freeze when they heard Howard’s voice. Despite how late it was, he was still dressed in his day clothes. He had a tired expression on his face that was slowly being overtaken by one of pure anger when his eyes rested on the young Tony. “Is that—”

“Your son from college?” Maria answered. “Yes.” Howard looked like he was about the burst in anger, making him move slightly behind his mother without realizing it. Rhodey moved a bit closer as well. “And his friend…”

“And you’re ditching the college education we pay valuable money for, because…?” Howard asked, slowly walking forward. Peter was watching the scene with wide eyes, noticing the stark difference between how Howard and the younger Tony interacted compared to him and Tony. Tony looked genuinely scared to confront his father. Peter couldn’t even imagine being afraid of Tony. The only thing he was afraid of when it came to Tony was disappointing him, which Jarvis had pretty much just confirmed to him was a baseless fear.

“It’s complicated,” Maria answered. Howard scoffed.

“Don’t cover for him, Maria! We’ve got stuff enough stuff going on here without you coddling him and letting him stay after ditching school,” Howard yelled.

“I’m not leaving my son out on the porch!” Maria retaliated. She turned towards Jarvis before Howard could continue to yell. “Jarvis, could you please make sure everything in Tony’s room is in order.” The request was simple, but the tone suggested something else. Jarvis immediately picked up on it and nodded. Jarvis nodded and turned to leave but froze when he saw a figure in the door.

 

Tony was pretty certain that Morgan was sitting on the bed when he left to use the bathroom. She was gone when he returned, immediately stressing Tony out. He tried not to freak out since his mother and Jarvis were in the house, but he couldn’t help but think of a billion bad scenarios should she run into the other occupant by herself.

Tony started searching nearby first. He wouldn’t be surprised if Morgan had involuntarily gotten him involved in a surprise game of hide and seek. He cautiously opened doors, calling out her name softly as he did so. He waited for the patter of tiny feet or a giggle that almost always gave her away, but he heard nothing.

He walked faster throughout the house, checking every door along the way. His stress was pretty high when he finally heard fast footsteps coming up from behind him. He turned to see her smiling innocently. He sighed in relief and dropped to one knee.

“Hey, baby, I’m going to need you to not run off and give Daddy a heart attack, yeah?” Tony said. She smiled wider. “What are you smiling about?”

“I saw something weird.” Tony’s stomach dropped. That’s not what any parent necessarily wanted to hear from their toddler.

“Weird? Where?”

“Outside?”

“Did you go outside?” Tony asked. Morgan shook her head. “Then how’d you see it?”

“He was at the door silly!” Tony frowned.

“Who?” She pointed at him, then she frowned. She got closer and ran her tiny fingers over his goatee.

“He didn’t have this.” Tony sighed. He was too tired for this conversation.

“It’s past your bedtime.” Morgan pouted but held her hands up anyway. Tony stood and picked her up in his arms. He was walking back towards his room when he heard some yelling and froze. He recognized Howards voice, and he cursed internally. He didn’t know where Peter was, but he couldn’t take a chance on him being somewhere else. With Morgan still in his arms, Tony raced to where he heard the voice.

Everyone except him and Morgan were in the living room, plus guests. Tony froze, trying to shrink back a bit when he inevitably saw a younger version of Rhodey and himself. Jarvis was about to walk out the way Tony came in when they made eye contact. Everyone in the room turned towards the new guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony needs to hear from himself how great of a father he is. Uncle Rhodey is loving it. Peter is over Howard. Strange is a Warlock. Peter is grateful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final installment. As you've guessed by now, there are two Tonys in this story. I eventually refer to the younger version as Anthony, just to make things clear.

Every turned to look at the older version of Tony when they saw Jarvis freeze. Maria and Jarvis looked like their worst nightmare had come to life as their worst-case scenario started to play out. Howard looked positively peeved about the entire thing, most likely upset about having two deal with two different versions of his son. Peter was panicking, looking guilty like everything was his fault. The younger Tony and Rhodey were both staring at the older Tony, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. The older Tony was just now putting the pieces together.

“This is weird,” Morgan whispered into her dad’s ear, covering her mouth with her hand so others couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Is this your secret uncle or something?” Rhodey muttered to the younger Tony.

“Yes!” Maria confirmed, thankful she didn’t have to come up with a solution.

“No,” the younger Tony answered, narrowing his eyes. He walked closer to the older Tony, scrutinizing him. “He looks exactly like me.”

“Secret dad?” Rhodey suggested. Howard and Maria glared at him, indicating for him to shut up.

“What are you suggesting, Anthony?” Howard asked in an annoyed tone. Tony bristled at his full name. The older Tony remained silent through the entire exchange. His eyes trailed the younger version of him. His grip tightened on Morgan and he tried not to do anything that would give him away.

“Who is he?” The younger Tony demanded to know. He stared right into his eyes.

“You look like my daddy,” Morgan commented, making Tony’s eyes flicker to her. The younger Tony stared at Morgan, realizing it was the same little girl from earlier. It was the one Jarvis had been so desperate to hide. Why would they want to hide secret family members so bad? Why would they continue to try to keep up this false image if he already knew something was up? All the older Tony saw was the younger Tony’s eyes go wide before he darted out of the room.

“Well, that went fantastic,” Howard growled bitterly. “What the hell happened?”

“He was distressed about something,” Maria answered calmly. “He just wanted to come home for a bit.”

“I don’t pay for him to come home and be useless whenever he wants to,” Howard argued back. “How did he get in here so easily. He saw everyone!”

“We couldn’t keep him out of his own house, Howard. He would’ve been even more suspicious,” Maria argued back.

“Yeah? Even more so than he is now?” Howard snarked, motioning to Peter and Tony.

“You don’t know that Tony figured out—”

“Anthony,” Howard corrected, holding up a finger. “I’m not falling down this hole of trying to figure out which one we’re talking about.” Maria looked aggravated at being interrupted but nodded anyway.

“We don’t know that Anthony knows anything. The forgotten relative story would have worked if we had—”

“If I may,” Rhodey said sheepishly, raising his hand. Everyone had quickly forgotten he was there when Anthony left. “You’re saying that this man, who looks like an older replica of…Anthony, isn’t a relative?”

“It’s complicated,” Maria answered, ignoring Howard’s warning glare. Rhodey nodded.

“So, what, is he a clone or something?” Rhodey asked, his eyes flickering back to Tony. Tony couldn’t help but snort.

“That’s a possibility we hadn’t ruled out,” Maria said to Howard with a shrug. Howard scoffed.

“How do you explain these two, then?” Howard asked, pointing at Morgan and Peter. Rhodey’s eyes followed where Howard pointed, then he frowned.

“And they are…?” Everyone in the room seemed to share a look, debating if they could keep the charade up for much longer. Despite how impossible the situation seemed, there were only so many conclusions Rhodey and Anthony could come to based off what they’d seen. Tony let out a sigh.

“My kids,” he answered. Everyone’s eyes bugged out at his honesty. “I’m from the future."

"Bullshit," Rhodey scoffed before anyone could even begin to yell at Tony. Tony shrugged as best he could with Morgan in his arms. They stared at each other for a few moments, but Tony’s stare was unrelenting. “Prove it.” Tony snorted.

“Why? I gave you the truth. You don’t have to believe it,” Tony said. Rhodey’s eyes widened for a second before he slowly nodded.

“You’re him.”

“You cannot possibly believe that from so little information,” Jarvis said in disbelief.

“Besides the fact that all of you looked absolutely horrified at what he said, indicating that he told the unspoken truth,” Rhodey pointed out, reminding them why he was attending MIT, “I’ve heard that phrase from Tony himself more times than I can count.”

“You’ll hear it a lot more,” Tony teased, earning an exasperated look from his mother.

“Can I say hi to Uncle Rhodey now?” Morgan asked, surprisingly everyone except Tony and Peter at how well she was keeping up. Tony figured that the truth might overwhelm him, but they were in this deep. Tony let her out of his arms for her to run over to Rhodey, latching onto his legs.

“And this is…?” Rhodey breathed out.

“My daughter. Morgan Stark.”

“Oh.” Rhodey was definitely frozen in shock, taking in how similar she looked to the Tony he knew at MIT right now. “She looks like you.” Morgan glared up at him, making Rhodey grin sheepishly.

“You say that a lot,” Morgan muttered, not letting go of his legs. Rhodey nodded and turned to Peter, who was sitting on the couch trying to shrink away from view.

“And he’s—”

“Peter. My son,” Tony answered, nodding for Peter to come over to him. Peter frantically shook his head from his position, but Tony only gestured for him to come over again. Peter reluctantly dragged himself from the couch to stand next to Tony. Tony smiled smugly and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Say hi, Pete.”

“Hi,” Peter muttered, looking at the floor with a red face. Rhodey was astonished, his gaze constantly flickering between Tony and his two children. Morgan restlessly held her hands up to be picked up, which Rhodey eventually complied with.

“I’m dreaming,” Rhodey mumbled. “There’s no way you’re a functional adult.”

“Ouch,” Peter said, making Tony rolled his eyes.

“You’re telling me,” Howard muttered to himself.

“You’re from the future,” Rhodey was talking to himself. “And these are your actual children.” Peter looked like he was about to speak up, so Tony elbowed him and cleared his throat inconspicuously. “Who’s their mother?”

“You don’t know her yet,” Tony answered smoothly.

“How do they know this boy and not us?” Howard asked smartly, crossing his arms over his chest. It was another unaddressed topic that was finally rising to the spotlight.

“Howard,” Maria chastised lightly. Howard held a hand up as if to silence her, not taking his eyes off of Tony.

“It’s a fair question. His own daughter is sticking to this boy he met at MIT more than she does to her own grandparents.”

“To be fair, she’s fairly attached to Mom,” Tony pointed out smugly.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“And you’ve probably already figured out the answer to your own question.” The expression on Howard’s face said it all.

“What happened.”

“Not telling,” Tony said bluntly. Rhodey and Jarvis were frowning, having not been privy to the information Maria and Howard has disputed between themselves earlier.

“So it’s true,” Howard said. “We’re dead?”

“Wow,” Peter mumbled to himself.

“Pardon?” Jarvis said, surprised by the casual look on Howard’s face. “You were already aware of this information?”

“We thought about it,” Maria cleared up. “It made more sense that way.”

“Holy shit,” Rhodey mumbled, earning a glare from Tony since he was holding his daughter.

* * *

 

Despite his shock, Anthony wasn’t foolish enough to leave everyone alone after his realization. He hid behind the wall, listening to everything that went down. His breathing had yet to even out as everyone unknowingly confirmed his suspicions. He had seen himself from the future. It sounded ridiculous, but the way Tony was looking at him confirmed everything for him.

He listened as Howard complained. He listened as Tony explained to Rhodey that those were his kids, his actual _children_. Even the thought of having children scared Tony to his core, but neither of them looked fucked up like Anthony thought they might be. Tony was holding the little girl, and she seemed like she wanted to be there. The teen was his age, and he wasn’t scared of him. Anthony kept thinking about the embarrassed look on Peter’s face, but he wasn’t afraid. Anthony hadn’t become his father.

He listened as the little requested to go to her _Uncle Rhodey_ , and Anthony thought he might’ve died when a sweet feeling filled him up. Rhodey was still his friend, even after all those years. Tony talked to Rhodey like he had never left.

He listened to Tony introduce his kids, Morgan and Peter. He perked up when Rhodey asked about their mother, but Tony gave a vague answer. Then, Howard brought up something that nearly sent Anthony into a panic. They were dead. Tony’s children didn’t know their grandparents because they were dead before they were born. Anthony had trouble breathing after that, but he didn’t want to give himself away. He stifled his breath as Tony basically confirmed it. He was going to lose his parents before Peter was even born. Anthony finally walked away to find his room.

He tried his best not to cry, but he was too stressed out. First college spreading him out to his breaking point, and now this. Anthony felt like throwing up from the wave of emotions that affected him all at once. Without meaning to, he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

 

When Anthony woke up, he was scared to leave his room. He figured that everyone knew that he knew now, so he didn’t have anything to be afraid of. Still, he didn’t want to step out and be scrutinized as everyone awaited his reaction. He came home to finally be ignored and left alone, not for this.

He snuck his way down to the kitchen, expecting only Jarvis to be up this early preparing to make breakfast. To his surprise, Morgan was sitting there when he arrived. She was kicking her legs while sitting on the stool, clearly in a good mood. In front of her was a plate of toast and a glass of juice. She must have heard Anthony despite him sneaking, because she turned around to look at him. Anthony was taken back when she smiled and waved. Jarvis looked back as well and locked eyes with Anthony, softening his face into a smile.

“Good morning, young sir,” Jarvis greeted. “Can I interest you in a glass of orange juice?” Tony shook his head, hesitantly coming up to sit a seat away from Morgan when Jarvis gestured for him to come closer.

“Coffee, please,” Anthony requested, side-eyeing Morgan. She scrunched her nose up at the mug that was placed in front of him. “What?” He asked bluntly.

“Coffee’s nasty,” Morgan said, taking another bite of toast. “You drink it all the time.” Anthony felt chills go up his back at what she just said. He knew she was talking about her father, not him but the man who was probably more than thirty years older. Jarvis looked at him subtly, but Anthony pretended not to see him.

“It’s needed for fuel.” Morgan giggled, and Anthony was shocked at himself for how pleased he was to hear that from her. He didn’t even _like_ kids.

“You say that all the time too.”

“Sounds like I haven’t changed much,” Tony muttered, mostly to himself. Morgan didn’t respond to that. She wouldn’t know how to. The kitchen fell quiet with only Jarvis’ movements making sound as he moved pots and pans around to start a proper breakfast. Anthony was nearly finished with his first cup when he heard slow footsteps behind him. He immediately stiffened, expecting to hear his father call out his name angrily.

“Good evening, young sir,” Jarvis greeted pleasantly. Anthony blinked, turning around to see the other kid. What was his name again? “Can I offer you a juice?” Peter had the same disheveled hair and tired look as Anthony did when he woke up, but he nodded instead of requesting coffee. Peter looked at Anthony, awkwardly waving before sitting on the other side of Morgan. Morgan looked at Peter giddily.

“Toast!” She exclaimed amusingly, shoving the piece in Peter’s face to show off the bread and her favorite jam. Peter snorted tiredly, taking a bite when it was close enough to his face. Morgan’s smile fell as her jaw dropped. “Hey!” She glared at Peter. It was the cutest thing Anthony had ever seen. She analyzed the giant bite Peter had taken out of her toast and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Jarvis was smiling when he set down a glass of orange juice for Peter.

“Don’t you drink coffee?” Anthony asked without meaning to, astonished how anyone his age could be up this early without the caffeine for a boost. Peter blushed and shook his head.

“I-I’m not allowed that much caffeine…” Peter stuttered out. Morgan giggled to herself while Tony frowned. Was he that much of a hard ass that he didn’t allow his kids the one thing that kept him going every morning? Peter must have noticed the contemplative expression on his face, because he shook his head even before the words came out of his mouth. “It’s not good for me. It only takes a little to affect me badly…” That sounded like bullshit if Anthony had ever heard it, but he didn’t question it. Anthony just nodded.

The kitchen fell silent again. Peter noticed how often Anthony kept looking at them, but he didn’t want to say anything. It was one thing to accidentally tell the future to Tony’s parents, but to tell the future to his younger self seemed disastrous. Anthony seemed to have suspected that fear. He started to ask questions since Peter wasn’t talking.

“How old are you?” Anthony asked casually, thanking Jarvis for the second cup of coffee. Peter’s eyes went wide, not expecting anymore conversation.

“Sixteen,” Peter answered hesitantly.

“Where do you go to school?”

“Uh, this place in midtown,” Peter answered vaguely. Anthony frowned.

“This ‘place?’ What’s it called, dude?” Peter chuckled nervously.

“Sir, I believe you are making Peter uncomfortable with your invasive questions about the future,” Jarvis attempted to alleviate the tension. However, the only thing Anthony picked up was, _Peter! That’s the kid’s name._

“I just want to know where he’s going to school,” Anthony asked innocently. “I go to MIT.”

“Yeah, I know that…” Peter said. Anthony suddenly remembered the fact that Peter had been wearing his sweatshirt which now looked old. He didn’t know how to feel about that. “It’s just a high school, man… I don’t even know if it exists yet.”

“You’re still in high school?” Anthony asked in an astonished tone. _Oh geez, it’s the Howard conversation all over again_ , Peter thought miserably.

“Not just any school,” Jarvis piped up again. “It’s for smart individuals particularly interested in science and technology, if I am remembering correctly.” Peter stared at him dumbfounded before nodding. “Your father told me a little about it,” Jarvis told Peter.

“Yeah,” Peter stuttered out a confirmation, looking back at Anthony. Anthony felt like he had a million thoughts running through his head that he couldn’t get a grasp on. After getting over the fact that he was sitting here talking to his son who was the same age as him, Anthony now had to get a grasp of that fact that his own son hadn’t skipped ahead to college like he had. Now Jarvis was telling him that the kid was still smart.

“What do you like doing then?” Peter groaned internally for the third time this was being asked.

“I don’t know, dude! Science!” Peter groaned out, letting his head fall on the counter in front of him. Morgan giggled.

“And Legos,” Morgan added for clarity, nodding smartly at Anthony. Anthony nodded back, though he didn’t exactly know what she meant by that.

“Chemistry and Physics, am I correct Peter?” Jarvis added, facilitating the conversation much better than the two teens were. Peter sat back up and nodded sheepishly. “You have a few years before you’re applying to college?”

“Next year, actually,” Peter answered.

“I’m sure your father will put in a good word,” Jarvis said amusingly. Peter snorted.

“He’s not allowed to. Mommy and Petey banned him,” Morgan said. Anthony bristled.

“What? Why?” Peter rolled his eyes.

“I’m not getting in because they know I know you.” Anthony scoffed.

“Don’t they already know that you know me?” Anthony asked. Peter shook his head.

“No, they think I have a Stark Internship,” Peter answered. Anthony fell silent.

“So no one knows that I have kids?”

“They know you have kids. They just don’t know who we are.” What Anthony would have paid to be given that choice in life, to not constantly be in Howard’s shadow. It sounded like a dream, a dream that his own kids were getting to live.

“Why would you have an internship at Stark Industries,” Anthony asked with a confused frown on his face. Peter opened his mouth before he hesitated to answer. “They send high schoolers to check out how to build weaponry?”

“No…?” Peter answered unconvincingly. Anthony stared at him dumbly, waiting for a proper response. “Because…Stark Industries doesn’t build weapons anymore…”

“What?” Anthony turned to Jarvis to confirm this. The unsurprised look on Jarvis’ face told all. Anthony thought he couldn’t be more blown away. He really had to raise his standards, considering he was dealing with time travel. “What do we do?”

“Uh…” Peter said dumbly, looking around the room like it could give him answers.

“Petey’s new phone and computer and watch—”

“Thanks, Morgan,” Peter cut Morgan off. Anthony just sat in silence. He made tech in the future, not weapons but tech. It wasn’t even a possibility he had dreamed would be possible, to be able to continue to make things or AI’s like DUM-E.

“Are they good?” Anthony asked quietly, trying to act casual while twiddling his thumbs.

“Uh…best on the market,” Peter hesitated. “Stop interrogating me!” Anthony looked up and snorted at the kid’s puppy dog eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Anthony laughed. “Sue me. I’m curious.” They fell silent again until Jarvis claimed he had to get the newspaper for Anthony’s father. Anthony cleared his throat. “Do you, like, actually like hanging around me?” Anthony mumbled. _Oh no, more questions_ , Peter thought to himself miserably.

“Yeah, it’s great,” Peter’s voice cracked as he tried to answer as vaguely and quickly as possible. Anthony’s face looked crestfallen.

“Why’d you say it like that?”

“Say it like what?” Peter asked innocently.

“Like you’re lying,” Anthony mumbled. Peter frowned. He hadn’t really thought about how he came off when he said things.

“Because I’m probably not allowed to talk to you. You say I’m bad at keeping secrets which is kind of bullshit because I’ve kept my biggest secret for so long—” Peter bit down on his lip when he realized what he just hinted at. _Yeah, that’s why he doesn’t think he’s good at keeping secrets_.

“What, about me being your father?”

“Yes?” Peter answered. Anthony didn’t look completely satisfied with that answer, but he also didn’t look like he was going to pry for something else. “What are you trying to ask me?” Anthony was staring at his hands when he shrugged. It was then that Peter got it. He had only been around Howard for a few days, but he knew that the relationship he had with Tony was much different than the relationship Tony had with Howard. “You let me work in your lab even though I keep breaking things,” Peter started saying.

Anthony looked up at him when he said this, a contemplative expression on his face. Peter continued.

“You came to my science fair incognito because I said I wanted you to go but I didn’t want Tony Stark there. You keep offering to get me into MIT before I even graduate even though I keep telling you that I’m going to do it by myself. Then you told me you know that I can do it by myself but you’re just pushy like that.”

“You built me my playhouse and make me toast,” Morgan added, not entirely sure what was going on, having only just heard the end of the conversation. “Mommy makes better pancakes though.”

“What she said,” Peter added. It was hard to get a read on Anthony’s expression, but Peter would say he didn’t completely screw things up. Peter was able to calm himself down a bit when Maria walked into the room. She smiled at Peter before coming by to run her fingers through Anthony’s hair, mussing it up.

“Good morning, Bambino,” Maria greeted. Anthony grunted in response but turned to smile at her. “Have you been bothering our guests?”

“Our guests?” Anthony repeated. “They’re my children. I think I’m allowed to ask some questions.” Maria just rolled her eyes. Jarvis returned with the newspaper and started preparing a coffee for Maria. Maria then went to run her fingers through Morgan’s hair, making the child giggle.

“Are you enjoying your toast, Bambina?” Morgan nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, Nonna!” Morgan responded. Anthony raised an eyebrow, turning to look at his mother.

“Nonna?” He repeated. Maria shrugged at him.

“They’re my grandbabies.” Anthony rolled his eyes.

The morning was unusually casual, considering the situation that was going on. Everyone else came down for breakfast eventually until the chatter was disgustingly light. Anthony thought he was going to claw his eyes out if he had to participate in any more small talk since he was literally across the table from himself.

“Where’s your time travel friend?” Howard eventually asked in a biting tone to Tony. Anthony and Rhodey looked up at this question. They weren’t aware of this “time travel friend.”

“That’s a good question,” Tony muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Why don’t you just try this time travel shit for yourself?” Howard challenged. Tony sighed, rubbing at his eyes. Anthony had begun to shrink down in his chair like he usually did when Howard tried to start up arguments, but Tony stood his ground like he was dealing with another one of his children.

“Because, on the small occasion that I fuck things up, I’ll be in a lot of trouble,” Tony answered simply. “Plus, this wasn’t a scientific journey. It was magic—”

“Bullshit,” Howard and Anthony said at the same time, both ignoring the other. Tony shrugged.

“It’s not my job to convince you of anything. It’s my job to get myself and these kids home and maybe kick the time traveler’s ass along the way.”

“But I like Dr. Strange,” Morgan pouted, climbing into her dad’s lap. Everyone else had become used to seeing this type of clingy interaction between Tony and Morgan, but Anthony and Rhodey’s eyes bugged out completely. Anthony couldn’t even begin to imagine doing anything like that as a child. Tony acted so natural, like he barely registered Morgan was in his arms now.

“Why?” Tony muttered.

“He can portal us places,” Peter answered, squinting his eyes at Tony like it was a dumb question. Tony squinted back at him.

“I’m so much cooler.”

“This isn’t a competition,” Peter responded. “But he’s also a doctor.”

“I’m a fucking doctor,” Tony laughed.

“Not in the cool way.” Peter raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“You don’t even like biology. What do you mean ‘not in the cool way?’ He can’t even do it anymore.”

“His cape is cool,” Morgan added pleasantly.

“It’s a cloak,” Tony informed her, sighing defeatedly. He wasn’t going to bring up the latest Iron Man suit _or_ Peter’s Iron Spider, but he was thinking it really hard. The expression on Peter’s face was teasing, indicating he knew what cards Tony couldn’t draw.

Throughout the interaction, Anthony and Rhodey’s heads moved back and forth loyally. Howard started to ignore everyone after his conversation with Tony ceased, electing to read the paper instead. Maria listened with her head resting in her palm. Anthony and Rhodey eventually looked at each other, like they couldn’t believe any of this was going on. The Anthony that Rhodey knew now was a disaster who forgot to go downstairs to eat and take his basket down the hall to do his laundry. The only person Rhodey had seen Anthony interact with like that was himself.

“You’re saying there’s a wizard in the future named Dr. Strange?” Rhodey asked.

“Warlock,” Tony incorrectly corrected. Peter rolled his eyes.

“Sorcerer,” Peter corrected.

* * *

 

Anthony was sitting by himself with Morgan later, which is not a position he thought he’d find himself in. He figured somebody was probably looking for the little girl, but she looked content to dance around him as he stood outside. Anthony was looking at her long dark hair, tied up into a bun, wondering if her mother was brunette. If Anthony was being honest with himself, he was fixing for something, anything. He knew that he was sacrificing his opportunity to get high or drunk when he came home out of the blue, and he though maybe that was a good thing. It was. Despite his twitching fingers, Anthony probably would have never forgiven himself if he took something while Morgan was around or if she found something.

Anthony ended up picking her up, which was also weird. He’s never held a child before, not that he could remember. She was lighter that she looked, and she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Anthony wondered if she forgot that he wasn’t her real dad, but he didn’t really care. He let her tuck her head underneath his chin. That was how Tony would end up finding them.

“There you are,” Tony called out. Anthony jumped around in surprise, making Morgan’s head bang against his chin. Both of them groaned, rubbing the respective spots that got hit. Anthony made a move to put Morgan down, but she tightened her grip. “Jarvis was looking for you.”

“I’m sorry—” Anthony started to apologize before Tony shook his head.

“It’s fine. She does this a lot.” Tony came until he was standing next to Anthony, who looked incredibly sheepish. “How are you doing?” Anthony frowned and shrugged.

“Fine, I guess.”

“Really, because I don’t remember this trip, but I do remember never wanting to come home over dealing with the shit at school.” Anthony glared at the ground, having forgotten he was literally trying to fool himself.

“It’s no big deal. I just needed a break.” Despite it being himself that he was talking to, Tony knew he wouldn’t talk if he was pushed, so he dropped it. “How did you become a dad?” Well, that was unexpected.

“Uh…” Tony said, searching for answers.

“Like, who is she? Do I know her yet?” Anthony really hoped he didn’t. He didn’t like anyone enough for them to be the mother of the children he was already attached to.

“God, no,” Tony answered. “You won’t meet her until way down the road. Sorry, kid.” Anthony just nodded. “It’s complicated, by the way.”

“What, was it an accident?” Tony was desperately trying to think of a way to explain how Peter wasn’t his biological child without giving anything away. He shouldn’t have said anything.

“No, it’s just that Peter was kept a secret from me for a while…” Tony played off. Anthony looked concerned but didn’t say anything. “Morgan was more purposeful, but I already had Peter around by the time she came along.”

“How do you even decide that you want kids?” Anthony muttered mostly to himself. Tony let out a sigh.

“Not to brag or anything, but I’m kind of the best father ever. I’ve got a mug to prove it,” Tony said cheekily, bringing Anthony’s attention back to him. “Listen, I get that Howard is shitty. I never forgot that. I was certainly reminded when I came back here. However, we’re not shitty, no matter how much you think you are sometimes.”

“I don’t—”

“I’m you, kid,” Tony interrupted. “And I remember how clearly I thought I was trash. If I had to guess, that’s probably how you were feeling when you came home to visit.” Anthony was silent. Tony purposefully ignored the glassy look in his eyes. “Things get so much better, it’s kind of insane.”

“Really?” Anthony bit back. “Because you kind of just told everyone that Mom and Dad died.” Tony cringed a bit but nodded. The worst part about this part of the conversation was how soon the topic was going to happen. It was only about a year away, but Tony couldn’t tell him that.

“No easy way around it,” Tony admitted. “Does it make you feel better to know you survive it?” Anthony shrugged. “Morgan, tell him what a great dad I am.”

“The bestest,” Morgan mumbled into his neck, clearly ready for a nap.

“Thanks,” Anthony mumbled back.

“Here’s some word of advice: stop trying to prove yourself to everybody, kid,” Tony told himself, a once in a lifetime opportunity. He’d probably have to deal with Strange’s rage later. “You’re kind of a genius. You’ve got problems, but they get better. You don’t need to prove to everyone every step of the way that you deserve to exist.” Anthony sniffled.

“Sounds a bit arrogant,” Anthony repeated the words he’s heard about himself too many times already.

“If people can’t see past your shell or the things that you’ll eventually create for the world, then they don’t deserve to be around you,” Tony concluded. He offered his hands out to give the kid a break from holding Morgan and to put her down for a nap. She wasn’t heavy, but it got a bit hard the longer you held her. Tony left his past self to his thoughts for a bit, feeling a bit proud of himself. He heard Anthony sniff a few times before he went inside.

“Thanks,” Anthony called out.

* * *

 

Peter was watching something on an 80’s TV, cringing with each frame and scene that went on. Now more than ever, he was grateful for his, or Tony’s, Netflix account. He tried to ignore the fact that Howard entered the room.

“Haven’t you anything better to do?” Howard asked.

“Not really,” Peter responded, not getting up from his sprawled position on the floor.

“I thought you were a genius. Why don’t you make something?” Peter sighed.

“Everything in this house is so dated I might just barf,” Peter said. “Plus, Dad told me not to.”

“Well, you’re doing better than your father did, actually listening to what’s told to you,” Howard grumbled. Peter sat up.

“I’ve only been here a few days, Mr. Stark, but Tony is and has always been a better father than you’ve ever been,” Peter criticized. Howard was taken back. “You don’t compare literally at all. Father is a more honorable title than what you’ve been.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Howard spat out.

“I have never once been afraid to go to my dad with anything, but you can barely talk to your son,” Peter continued. “He’s constantly telling me and Morgan that he loves us, but I know for a fact that you’ve never done the same courtesy for your only son.”

“Well, I—” Howard stammered.

“It’s kind of crazy how shitty you are,” Peter mumbled mostly to himself. “Not only that, but he’s also better at managing your company that you are.”

“The company that he turned over to a woman.”

“The company that he first turned into a multi-billion-dollar business,” Peter reminded him. “Not to mention the countless other things he’s done that I’d probably get in trouble for mentioning.”

“You have some nerve coming into my own home to degrade me—”

“We’re leaving as soon as possible,” Peter scoffed. “Don’t worry.” He went back to watching the TV, once again, pretending Howard didn’t even exist

* * *

 

It would be a few days later when Stephen Strange would finally show up. Peter was playing checkers with Uncle Rhodey in the living room when he heard a knock on the door late at night. Both of them looked up at each other. Peter expected his Spidey senses to go off, but nothing happened. Jarvis was gone, and he was almost positive that everyone else was asleep. He got up to open the door.

“Dude, you can’t just open the door to a mysterious knock in the middle of the night. Oh god, you are Tony’s son,” Rhodey said.

“It’s fine,” Peter said, skipping over to the door before Rhodey could protest anymore. He pulled it open and was blessed by the sight of a slightly annoyed Dr. Strange. “Stephen!”

“Peter,” Strange nodded in greeting. He raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Stark?”

“Probably asleep and a little pissed it took you so long to get here,” Peter answered, moving aside to let him in. Strange walked in and paused at the sight of Rhodey.

“Rhodes,” Strange greeted, nodding at the young man.

“I know a sorcerer?” Rhodey mumbled to himself.

“How long has it been?” Strange asked Peter.

“Uh, a few days. We’re not good at keeping secrets.”

“No, I didn’t think so,” Strange admitted. “Go find Stark.”

Soon, everyone had no choice but to believe the time travelers that Strange really did use magic. He first showed off unnecessarily portaling himself around the house. Then, he pulled the Time Stone out of a pocket dimension to show them.

“Took you long enough,” Tony greeted. “Can you get us back to when we left? We have a dinner reservation.”

“My apologies,” Strange said insincerely with an eyeroll. “I just had to search the entire cosmos for, not just you, but a very specific version of you and then track down when in time would be the best way to retrieve you.”

“Apology accepted,” Tony responded cheekily. “How’d you do it?” Strange pulled out a long piece of dark brown hair. “That’s not mine.”

“No, it’s Morgan. Easier to search for her since she’s younger and didn’t exist in the 80s,” Strange explained.

“How’d you get my daughter’s hair?” Tony asked with no real malice.

“From her hairbrush at your house. Your wife’s pissed at you, by the way,” Strange said with a smirk, making Tony groan.

“Dammit, we missed the dinner. You did that on purpose.” Strange shrugged cheekily.

“Maybe. I like her a lot better, by the way.”

“She hates you,” Tony lied.

“No she doesn’t,” Strange said. Maria finally made her way downstairs with Morgan. Everyone else was up and prepared for their journey home. Maria insisted that Morgan take some of the stuff that she bought to remember her by. She also brought the stuff that Peter almost left behind, including Tony’s old MIT hoodie.

“Thanks,” Peter said with a blush. Maria smiled and kissed him on the forehead, pulling him into a tearful hug. She did the same with Morgan before coming over to the older version of her son.

“You’re doing a great job, Bambino,” Maria whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek and giving him a tight hug. Tony just hugged her back, fearing his voice would be too watery if he spoke. No one else said anything as Strange prepared to take them back. Tony held onto both Morgan and Peter tightly, scared out of his mind that something would go wrong. Tony locked eyes with Anthony, giving the kid a wink before Strange pulled them back to the present with a flash of green light.

The rest of them were left staring at the spot where Tony, his kids, and the sorcerer just stood. Anthony and Rhodey shared a gobsmacked look. Maria put her arms around the younger Anthony tearfully, kissing the crown of his head.

 

It was the next day when the rest of them would meet in the kitchen for dinner like nothing happened. Anthony and Rhodey were home from school even though they weren’t supposed to be, and Maria and Howard were continuing these as usual. Howard insisted that they returned to school immediately. After the last couple of days, the two boys had no complaints to returning to some normalcy.

Jarvis was going to drive the boys to the bus station. Maria was going to call to make sure they returned safely. All of them were at the door to see the two off. Maria hugged both of the boys, telling Rhodey to keep taking care of him, even inviting his family over for dinner. Howard watched with a blank expression as everyone said their tearful goodbyes. He made his was up to the car’s backseat window before Jarvis pulled off.

“Kid,” Howard sighed to himself, feeling like a complete idiot. “You’ve got a good thing going at MIT. Don’t screw it up.”

“Yes, sir,” Anthony mumbled, not really looking at his father.

“I love you. Your mother loves you. Don’t do anything stupid because you don’t think you have a future. You clearly just saw you still have shit to do,” Howard grumbled like it killed him to do so. Anthony just stared at his father with wide eyes. Howard didn’t say anything else. He moved back from the car and indicated for Jarvis to drive off. Maria patted his shoulder when he walked back into the house.

“I see his little trip got to you,” Maria said.

“Well, he’s haunting me even after my death. I figured I should put an end to it now.”

* * *

 

“Pepper, it wasn’t even my fault this time. It was totally Strange’s,” Tony defended himself as soon as he saw his wife. She rolled her eyes and pecked his lips before pulling him into a tight hug. “I was really concerned about our reservations.”

“Shut up, Tony,” Pepper smiled into his shoulder. “You’re going to drive me insane.” She pulled back to give the same treatment to Peter and Morgan. “How was your vacation?”

“Amazing! I love Nonna!” Morgan then went on to explain everything that was great about Maria Stark. After Morgan’s little spiel was done, Pepper turned to Peter.

“It was cool. I’m taller than Tony was at my age,” Peter said, making Tony roll his eyes. “But I forgot everything I studied for, and now I have to make up my physics test,” Peter pouted.

 

It was later that night when Peter stumbled upon Tony in the kitchen with a glass of water. He had meant to go visit Aunt May’s, but they ended up returning too late. She advised him to just come by tomorrow.

“Uh, Tony?” Peter called out quietly. Tony turned and smiled at Peter.

“What’s up, champ?” Peter opened his mouth multiple times before he was able to get the words together that he wanted to say.

“You’re a great dad.” Tony didn’t know how to respond. “Not that you weren’t before, it’s just…After I met your dad, I kind of realized that I took you for granted—”

“You don’t take me for granted, Pete. I’m supposed to do the cool things I do for you, like help you study for your physics test,” Tony teased quietly. Peter laughed and shrugged.

“Yeah, but I don’t really tell you how grateful I am for it, especially since you don’t really have to be…” They both knew that Peter was referring to his unofficial adoptive status.

“Pete, you’re mine in all the ways that count. I love you. You know that.” Unlike his father, Tony wasn’t afraid to show his affection. He pulled Peter into a hug since the boy was clearly feeling vulnerable.

“I love you too,” Peter mumbled. “Thank you for randomly showing up in my apartment.” Tony snorted.

“Thank you for giving me a million heart attacks when you get yourself into some danger,” Tony responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. That's seriously the end. No more.  
> I was, however, thinking of making a series of unrelated time travel fics since I love fics like these and there's a shortage of them. So, if you like things like that, stayed tuned for potentially more Howard and Maria, potentially more Morgan and Peter. Who knows.  
> Thanks to everyone who encouraged this fic, I hope this was a satisfying conclusion.


	4. Author's Note

For those interested, Hero is now a part of "The Hero's Journey" Series. You can read the new fic, "The Hero's Future" now and leave suggestions for what you would like to see. I am already working on another one in the same series, also unrelated to the other two.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me if you enjoyed it! I had always considered this idea as a short fic and wanted to try it out.


End file.
